Bengalle bunga (to make a basket)

Join Aunty Joanne Selfe as she guides participants through the process of bengalle bunga (to make a basket). In this workshop Aunty will share the practice of coil weaving, including its understanding and use as a metaphor for the interconnectedness of all living things.

The workshop provides an opportunity to connect, listening to old story with Aunty Joanne yarning up as you learn all about bengalle bunga (basket making). Participants will learn to make small coil raffia baskets. You are also welcome to join the workshop to listen to story.

As a cultural practitioner, holder of sky lore, and master grass weaver, Aunty Joanne shares the teachings she learnt from her mother, Elders and community knowledge holders, using the cultural practice of weaving to share understandings of sophisticated Aboriginal knowledge, intricate systems, complex tapestries that interweave with cultural and social practice.

Aunty Joanne Selfe Cadi Nura, a founding member of Warringa Baiya (NSW Aboriginal Women’s Legal Service) she sat on the Youth Koori Court as an Elder for a number of years. Today, she works on the NSW Judicial Commission’s Ngara Yura program, that educates judicial officers on matters relating to Aboriginal customs, culture, traditions and society. A holder of sky lore, in her spare time she works with young people in her community sharing the very knowledge systems and skills, she learnt from her mother, Elders and community knowledge holders, she is a master grass weaver.

Where: Inner West Sustainability Hub - Education Space (towards the back of the site, at the end of the blue pedestrian path, near the garden space.)

Address: 7 Prospect Rd, Summer Hill.

Accessibility: If you have any access or support requirements to participate fully, please let us know. The site is accessible via paved pathways with a slight slope from street to buildings.

Who: This workshop is provided free to residents of the Inner West local government area. This service is presented by the Green Living Centre, an initiative of Inner West Council. As numbers are limited, the service is only available to residents of Inner West Council area. Search by address at the Office of Local Government website to find your local government area, if you're unsure. Proof of residential address will be required.

If you have any questions email: education@greenlivingcentre.org.au or phone 0481 477 917.